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On a recent trip to Ikea the mister spotted this colorful denim (these are mos def his colors) and asked for some clamdiggers. I said no on the clamdiggers because with this fabric I thought it would look like something my grandma would wear. I did agree on shorts though obviously, and here they are.

These were made with Simplicity 1948. It’s one of the Suede Says (ughhhhh) patterns. Can we talk for a second about how fug most of the Suede designs are, especially the ones with a more “rocker” edge to them? Gross! These are no exception, The basic pattern is a jean, or you can add a bunch of unnecessary pockets and zippers if you feel like it.

I’d never made pants for Chris before and unfortunately these came out too big. I made these while he was out on a long motorcycle ride so I didn’t have him available to try them on while I was working. I wish they were sized by waist measurements like men’s pants are. The finished garment measurements on the envelope are for the hip measurement, which isn’t very helpful. Oh well, he’s wearing a belt in these photos.

I’m going to cut down center back and take the excess out from there. I did 4 lines of topstitching on the waistband so I have no intention of unpicking all of that. Scissors it shall be. Sizing was the only issue I had with the pattern.

All of the pieces fit together well. I gave these an 11 inch inseam which I based off of other shorts he owns. I took the time to cut the pockets and back yoke with the stripes matching, but switched them at the last second. I decided visually I liked being able to differentiate all of the design elements instead of having them fade together. The pattern instructions were quite good. I was even able to follow their instructions and diagrams for inserting the fly front zipper. Easy peasy mac and cheesy.

All seams are finished by my serger and then topstitched down. The insides are very neat and tidy if I do say so myself.

I also recently finished sewing up some curtains for my sister. Although I did make her do all of the measuring and pressing (i.e. the boring parts). I think I’m do for another few month of selfish sewing 🙂

Mr. DapperDuds (isn’t he cute!!!) was very patient and got rewarded with a bespoke t-shirt. After accompanying me to the flea market WAY FAR AWAY, we drove past Fabric Depot on the way home. I looked at him with puppy dog eyes and asked if we could, “pretty-please-stop-I-haven’t-checked-out-the-outdoor-sale-all-summer-long-because-it’s-so-far-out-and-it’s-almost-over-and-I-won’t-be-too-long-blah-blah-blah.” He reluctantly agreed, made a U-turn and we found ourselves there.

There wasn’t much left in the sale, but this turquoise (his favorite color) and grey striped knit caught his eye. He asked if he could have t-shirt made out of it, so I said “Absolutely!” He asks for things so infrequently, it was fun to make something new for him. Even though I have no men’s t-shirt patterns and super limited experience sewing with knit fabric, I felt confident.

I’m super proud of this because it’s one of the first things I’ve made all on my own. My only beef with it is that the fabric is of the tissue thin variety (super soft though) so I don’t think this will be very long lasting. I traced around an old Greenpeace T-shirt he likes the fit of, evened out the lines, and then added seam allowance to make my own pattern. I had to cut this out as a single layer in order to match the stripes. Sewing this together was a breeze. I’ve started working 3 days a week in production for a luxury knitwear company, so I’ve got the order of construction for garments pretty firmly in my head. I matched the stripes along the side seam and invested in a twin needle. That made hemming and applying the neck band a much better looking process. American Apparel ain’t got shit on me 🙂

How annoying is that title? Hahaha. These shorts are actually a wearable muslin. My little sister’s birthday is coming up and she wants a pair of shorts for her present.

We went to the Pendleton Mill Outlet with the intention of getting some wool to make a winter short. But, that’s not what caught her eye. We picked up a super fun, snakeskin print twill.

She wants a menswear inspired short (honestly, Thurlow would be perfect). I have McCall’s 5391 in the stash and gave it a try. This pattern isn’t quite what she wants. On her version I’m going to add patch pockets to the rear (I think), and she definitely wants a cuff.

These are a straight make of view A, with the buttoned belt loops from F. Her measurements are just about the same as mine so I cut these in a size 12. I haven’t be en able to fit them on her yet, but I like them on me.

I inherited a small fabric stash, as well as my sewing machine, when my friend Leslie moved across country. I have tons of this home decor cotton toile fabric (about 4 yards) in the above mentioned stash. It is the perfect weight for a pair of pants, so I made these as carefully as I would on the final version. I really like how they came out. They’re super preppy :).

I made no fitting changes and these were a fairly fast make. I spent about 4 hours total on them. The only difficulty I had was on the zipper.

The pattern calls this a “mock fly”. I’ve never made a fly before, so I’m not sure what the difference is. The instructions were very confusing, and the illustrations weren’t very helpful either. I had to read them aloud a few times, and I’m not sure if I got it right. The zipper looks good enough, so I’m not too concerned. I’ll consult a book when I make my sister’s, so I can make her a proper fly.

The only other “issue” is that, as drafted, view A is hella short. When I make these again for myself, I think I’ll add 2 inches. Even my husband said they were short! You know men, nothing can be too tight or short for them. My sis is almost 4 inches shorter than me, so they should be perfect on her.

All in all, I think this pattern is a winner. It feels like wearing a RTW short. I’m working on getting used to things at my natural waist, but I never wore them before I started sewing. This has a comfortable low to midrise.

These photos really crack me up. Chris really got into his male modeling and threw out all of the blue steel, Quiet Ryan, and arm behind the head sexiness I could catch. Oooh lala.

This is his bad boy Magic Mike shot.

I made another version of McCall’s 6383 for Mr. Dapper Duds. I really like the slim groovy fit of this 70’s pattern. I used a black chambray from Joann’s for the body of the shirt, and a colorful rainbow plaid for the undercollar, collar stand, and the inside of the pocket flap. Originally, I had planned to make colorful piping as well, but I didn’t like the way it looked when I layed it out. I think I need to move away from piping for a bit.

Hey girl, I really like the way you put the yoke on that western shirt.

I made a few changes to the pattern. The most obvious change I made was to make this version short sleeved. I layed out the sleeve piece from the modern McCall’s 6044 to see the length I should make the sleeve. I was shocked to see the difference in the sleeve cap. Isn’t that cray cray? No wonder I was unhappy with setting in the sleeves on the modern pattern. I kept thinking they looked puffy. Sleeves, you were the problem, not me.

I also shortened the pattern by 4″. My man is not one for tucking in his shirts. The last adjustment was toning down the large 70’s collar. I simply removed the seam allowance (a standard 5/8″) to get it to a more modern proportion.

I’m really proud of the seam finishing I did. He could wear this inside out if he wanted to. I double dare you to find a raw edge. I used flat-felled seems throughout. I really like the strength and tidyness they provide. Side note: I really need to get a flat-felling foot. This shirt is built to last.

The inside, yo!

I finished it off using this tutorial for creating an easy rolled hem. It closes with black pearl snaps I picked up at an awesome hoarder estate sale